with aim of being able to predict the response of compost to certain treatments. What this again revealed was the important role played by Scytalidium. We have been able to open a tiny chink in the armour of the ‘black box’ that the composting process still actually is.” Caroline van der Horst, also from C4C, then spoke on the difference in bacteria colonies in compost throughout the entire cultivation process. There populations change considerably from the beginning to the end of the process, but the differences at any given moment in the process are quite small, which prompted her conclusion that CNC compost is properly homogeneous. Oscar Lahmann, who works as a consultant in countries including Costa Rica, talked about the difference between small-scale on-farm production of compost for cultivation purposes, and importing incubated compost from the Netherlands. He concluded that the cost price for the two farms in the study, in Costa Rica and Panama, more than doubled but that production rose by 350%. “If you have a relatively small farm but a good market, I would certainly advise growers to import compost in blocks. The problems are relatively small. We have learned that frozen compost can produce just as much as compost that has always been kept at a constant temperature. You must take care to heat the compost very carefully, and avoid giving too much water to start with. And, for practical reasons, it’s advisable to keep some stock chilled at the farm, in case problems with customs or transport delay delivery. The compost we use has already travelled a distance of more than 9000 kilometres!”
Watering
The afternoon sessions offered participants a number of interesting presentations about water. Two of the more concrete lectures were given by Ofer Danay and Dubi Raz, both employed by Netafim Israel. They spoke about the results of the test installations of their drip system in Israel and in the Netherlands at Berg Champignons. These systems use pipes laid in the casing soil that drip irrigate the casing from within and keep it moist (see previous edition]. Raz clearly demonstrated that inserting and removing the dripper lines, and cleaning them, was a process that could easily be automated. The system was also on display at the Mushroom Days later on in the week. Raz claimed that using the Netafim system can also reduce casing soil use by up to 20%. John Hermans, from Vullings, and Jos Amsing from BVB Substrates then took to the stage to explain that it is vital to achieve maximum results using a minimum of water
input. Amsing: “ At the BVB laboratory, and on the trial farms, I am investigating the possibili- ties of steering the irrigation process using measurement sensors. We are currently testing a variety of sensors for reliability. We hope to be able to release some results soon, so growers can actually ‘measure’ how much water the mushrooms really need instead of just relying on ‘feeling’.”
Marketing
Before the ‘Marketing & Consumer Research’ started, a keynote lecture was given by Elise Lemkes-Straver (ZLTO) on ‘Future Farming’. Using a myriad of examples, she explained what the ZLTO does, the degree of efficiency accom- plished in agricultural production in the Netherlands (6x greater efficiency than the EU average) and how sustainability and the economy are increasing linked. This was followed by a brief time window (10 seconds) in which Peter Oei and Mark den Ouden, who have both published new books on mushrooms, were able to present a copy to Seymour. Later, at the Welcome Event in Den Bosch, both authors had more time to highlight their publications. Glenn Cardwell (Nutrition Impact P/L) explained, not for the first time, how the message of the health beneficial effects of mushrooms is conveyed to the public in Australia. By repeating the message in every imaginable way, and by having other parties such as health professionals proclaim your message too. Trickle-down messaging. Later in the afternoon, Ross Richardson of SAMFA explained that this strategy is also possible on a limited budget. Exploiting the reach of social media, small events, and frequent, personal contact can go a long way.
Jan Klerken’s lectured was entitled ‘Mushroom Winnovation’. His story was also familiar, but with unrelenting enthusiasm he explained the success of his family company, Scelta Mushrooms. No one beats Klerken’s skill in storytelling, and he sees innovation/
Communicating the mushroom
health message to the public is also possible with a limited budget.
Mark den Ouden gave the first copy of his book ‘Mushroom Signals’ to Greg Seymour, ISMS President. Peter Oei also launched his book ‘Mushroom Cultivation IV’ in Amsterdam.
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Joe Pecchia of Penn State University during his lecture at the Muziekgebouw.
MUSHROOM BUSINESS 9
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